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CALABAR GALLERY, 2504 FREDERICK DOUGLASS BLVD, NEW YORK, NY 10030

Calabar Gallery represents underserved artists locally and globally: African, African American and Caribbean artists, with the mission of providing a place for community, exhibition, creative initiatives and projects. It provides a venue for them to innovate, sustain, grow and  expand  ideas, concepts, projects and leverage opportunities by the use of our space, networks and relationships, and a distinctive location in Harlem New York City. 
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THREE KEYS COFFEE
THANK YOU TO OUR MAIN SPONSOR

1. WORD: OUR CURATOR'S VOICE

Our Artsy Viewing Rooms is getting a lot of traffic, so if you have not visited - please go and take a look: https://www.artsy.net/partner/calabar-gallery/viewing-rooms. Here are the 4 rooms: For Juneteenth, we are excited to launch a special exhibition of photographs by Kay Hickman. We have loved her work since we encountered it and has spent the years watching her develop her collection of street photograph and other work. We will showcase 19 photographers in our next newsletter and on our Artsy. We curated 19 images that speak to the world of Black America and Black people at this time with an ode to Juneteenth. We are focusing on Black Photographers of this generation - they are our future Gordon Parks and Carrie Mae Weems and collecting them early is key to what makes a dynamic collector.

  

Kay Hickman is a New York City based documentary photographer and visual artist.
With an inquisitive eye, she offers a unique and empathetic perspective into the everyday lives of the people she photographs. Her work largely focuses on documenting the human experience as it relates to identity, human rights and health issues. Hickman’s work has been featured in The New York Times, TIME, Vogue, Utne Reader, Ms. Magazine, OkayPlayer, Coeval, Jazz Halo and Photographic Journal: MFON Women Photographers of the African Diaspora. Hickman also joined the Everyday Project’s Advisory Board where she works on various initiatives, as well as helps curate Everyday Black America’s instagram feed.


Over the next month, we will build our presence on Latitudes Online - we have been remiss in not doing enough there and will spend the month adding more work - with the goal to bring in more African Artists in that space. Visit our gallery here: https://latitudes.online/calabar_gallery

Huge thanks to Three Keys Coffee for being our Main Sponsor for this newsletter. If you are interested in advertising too, please reach out: The newsletter goes out to 45,000 people plus it is shared on Facebook and Twitter to an additional audience of about 20,000. We use the funds for emergencies for artists we work with.

Our next show is also on Artsy. Weusi Artist Collective will be in the gallery, online, and on social media. This exhibition is a MUST SEE - it features artists from the Black Arts Movement and members of The Weusi Artist Collective. I know it's serious because several staff from one of the auction houses keeps forwarding this email and I am sending more people to look at the work. So, please go and look at the work. It's a must buy thing to do.

SHOP more with us via our new sections on our website:

If you are in New York this summer - please come visit us, I would love to see you. Our gallery features the work of Black artists, so please reach out to assist us do more to increase the profile of these artists. Black Artists need places like us and you can help us grow and strive. Buying art is one way to do so, but more ways include advocating for us, sharing us with others and telling us about other opportunities. Until next newsletter -please do something to change your part of the world.
Atim 
Atim Annette Oton 

Curator/Director 
Info@calabargallery.com

2. INSIDE: AN INDEPTH LOOK AT AN ARTIST


ln this series, we asked SIX QUESTIONS of KEMI ADEYEMI WILSON, a Nigerian artist based in Canada, If you are interested in his work, please contact us at info@calabargallery.com

1. What inspires you? And what continues to inspire you after these many years?
I am inspired by people, stories and my environment. The fact that everything has a precedence and that there really isn’t anything new under the sun. As I get older, I continue to be inspired by my relationships, the experiences of women all over the world, joy and pain. Life generally, I guess.

Jokotade and Daughters, 2017

2. How did you start making art? And why do you make art? Is there an artwork that you have done that you are most proud of? Why? 

I have always made art. I am that child who sewed, wove palm fronts, painted, designed T Shirts, made hair scrunchies, bags, cushions, curtains etc. I am what you call a multi-potentialite and I suspect if I had been born in the west I would possibly have been labelled as having ADHD
 
I am at peace and in a state of flow when I am creating.
 
The last piece I just made is usually the one I am most proud of, till I make another. I am proud of the art workshops I have run in primary schools in England. Children are so unfiltered.

Choose Wisely

3. How have you developed your career? How do you seek out opportunities? 
My artistic career was put on hold for many years after I relocated abroad in 2003. I wanted to be a business consultant or to work in the retail and consumer goods industry doing internal strategy. I was particularly interested in fashion, apparel and lifestyle companies. In 2004 in Business school I made paintings for a charity exhibition which were all sold. I then made some more for myself. In 2005/6, I sold my paintings from a stall in a Sunday Market called Spitalfields in London. Post Business school, I did 2 small consulting gigs and then ran a cake business when I didn’t get the ‘Job” I thought I deserved. The cake decorating aspect fulfilled my creativity but I didn’t start painting actively again till 2014 when life became overwhelming. I started an arts initiative at the end of 2016 and called it Arts 4 Happiness. I create opportunities for myself by holding exhibitions of my work and those of other artists.
 
The opportunity to go and teach workshops in schools came as a result of a friend who was a school secretary at my son’s school recommending that the children come in for the exhibition and after the school asked me to come in an teach the rest of the school. The opportunity to go into another school was a result of them seeing the images from the previous school on social media. I have been more focused on promoting creatives across the world of late.

Aunties 2021

4. What does your work aim to say? How does your work comment on current social or political issues?

I weave stories about the intersection of art with other issues. Sometimes it’s business, sometimes politics and sometimes its religion. I believe that our art and creativity serve to tell stories about a place, culture, people and life and that we can communicate without necessarily being antagonistic.

They Put You on a Pedestal for a Day

5. Who are your biggest influences? Which artists inspire you and why?
Everything influences me. The stories of lives lived by generations of women before me.
I am inspired by Ablade Glover because of his depiction of African women. His paintings convey the hustle, bustle, flamboyance and colors that I grew up with. I draw from artists of the past as well as those currently working like Njideka Akunyili Crosby, El Anatsui’s recycled pieces, the swagger of Black Americans depicted by Barkley Hendricks and the vibrant abstract paintings of Gerhard Ritcher. I am inspired by artists all over the globe and fine it fascinating that ideas developed simultaneously across different regions of the world as if by chance and how no one can really claim ownership of some artistic ideas and trends.

6. How do you cultivate a collector base? Which artist would you collect? What work have you collected or bought of another artist?


So far, I have purchased works of artists who I was drawn to in my immediate environment. I have of course been limited by cash but I believe I have collected almost 20 paintings so far from artist friends in England and also a couple from Nigeria. I buy what I like as opposed to for speculative reasons. If I had been wise, I would have taken a loan in the early 2000’s to buy a painting by Njideka. I want more paintings from France Okala, I would love to own some paintings by Ablade Glover, Amy Sherald and possible something from Elizabeth Catlett.

Bio: Kemi Adeyemi – Wilson is an Architect, SME Business Speaker & Mentor, Writer, Everyone's Sister & Tomisire’s Mum. She graduated from the University of Lagos, Nigeria with combined Degrees in Architecture & Environmental Studies. She also graduated from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania with an MBA in Marketing, Strategic & Entrepreneurial Management. She has lived, Studied and Sold her Art on 3 Continents, run a stall selling Art at Spitalfields Market, London, run a Cake Business, a Bag & Accessories Design Business and considers herself a Dabbler in All Things Creative. As a first-generation British Immigrant and now Canadian Immigrant, she understands the need for cross cultural integration and the need for communities to provide creative hubs where people of all backgrounds, religions & cultures can come together and create, work & interact. Kemi is constantly exploring new ideas and would want the entire World to be a United in Peace, Love & Happiness. Someone asked me why usually share the works of other artists instead of focusing purely on mine. I believe that we can all lift up others. I am passionate about promoting and encouraging others and as I research and explore, I learn so much more. We can all shine. There is room for everyone.

FUN SOCIETY CLUB
FUN SOCIETY CLUB
: Technology Strategies for Brands; Fashion Production, Product Launches, Creatively Designed NFTs, Multiverse and Multimedia Environments and utilizing Art Direction, 3D Animation and Modelling; Dynamic Graphic and Motion Design, Storytelling and Expansive Social Media Content and Strategy, and Immersive Film and Videos.  Email us at contact@funsocietyclub.com
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR

3. GALLERY AND ONLINE EXHIBITIONS

The Weusi Artist Collective: Black Joy and Resilience

June 18th, 2022 to July 28th, 2022
Open Wednesdays to Sundays, 12-7pm
Preview the exhibition here: https://calabargallery.com/black-joy-resilience-and-community-the-weusi-collective/

The Weusi Artist Collective: Black Joy and Resilience at Calabar Gallery is a group exhibition that spotlights the work of some of the members of the collaborative artists’ group founded during the Black Arts Movement (1965 - 1975). Curated by Atim Annette Oton, this exhibit features twenty-eight (28) works from eleven (11) of the collective’s current members: Deborah Singletary, Dindga McCannon, Ed Sherman, Jesse Henry, Jimmy James Greene, Ken Wright, MLJ Johnson, Otto Neals, Robert Daniels, Stanwyck Cromwell, and Taiwo Duvall. Each artist, in their unique artistic authenticity, visually expresses the Black form; explores deep stories of spirituality; highlights the interconnected culture shared between African and African Diaspora people; and creatively expands on the identity of Black culture.

Interested in the work and a pdf of the work - please email us at Info@calabargallery.com 

RSVP here to attend:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-weusi-artist-collective-black-joy-and-resilience-tickets-328476872167
The Dragon And I Are One by Deborah Singletary
The Dragon And I Are One by Deborah Singletary
$1,700.00
View
Seek Knowledge by Stanwyck Cromwell
Seek Knowledge by Stanwyck Cromwell
$2,500.00
View
Two Women Two Hats by Ed Sherman
Two Women Two Hats by Ed Sherman
$400.00
View
In His Image by Taiwo DuVall
In His Image by Taiwo DuVall
$2,000.00
View

4. COLLAB: OUR WORK WITH OTHERS

1. HARLEM BREW FEST
On November 12,
we join Harlem Brewing Company as Art Gallery Partner with for the Harlem Brew Fest, the first festival in the world to connect all brewers, artists, chefs and DJs in celebration of Black Brewing culture and featured: Sankofa Beer, Black Frog Brewery, Island to Island Beer, 1947 Beer, Harlem Brewing and Rams & Parrot Distillery. This year, we will select 30 BIPOC artists to work with Beer Bands to create labels for their bottles. https://harlembrewfest.com/

2. HARLEM ARTS STROLL
It's about Harlem from 1810th to 155th Streets with its galleries and businesses welcoming you. Come see our gallery and others at the HARLEM ARTS STROLL.

You can also support Harlem Arts Stroll by making a donation at: https://fundraising.fracturedatlas.org/harlem-arts-stroll

6. WEBSITE: ART PIECES TO COMTEMPLATE

This edition, we feature Elan Cadiz, one of our represented artists who is based in New York and working on her new series: The Sky is the Limit. She continues to build on her Scaffold Series. See a video about it here - there are still pieces remaining and available for sale from us. Elan is one of the artist we represent and if you don't have a piece of her work - I would say - you are making a mistake. Several collectors and artists themselves are collecting her work quietly. 

This section is our way of previewing new work on our website, generally 5-10 pieces at a time.  If you are interested in purchasing any of these works, please email us immediately at info@calabargallery.com

Elan Cadiz is an interdisciplinary North American Visual Artist that deconstructs and balances her intersectionality through her projects. Her art and practice are grounded in the documentation of her personal narrative through the use of historical imagery and the domestic.​

Cadiz's art speaks to the boundless potential in humanity and the ways our pasts can inform our future for the better. Elan's goal is to have viewers question their condition(s) in ways that bring about helpful inner inquiry and thoughtful discussion.​

​Elan Cadiz graduated from City College of New York with a BA in Studio Art and received a MFA Fine Arts degree from the School of Visual Arts where she was awarded the SVA Merit Scholarship, Paul Rhodes Memorial Award and the Martha Trevor Award.​

​Cadiz has been commissioned by the Studio Museum in Harlem, El Museo de Barrio, Art in Flux Harlem, Mount Vernon Hotel Museum and more. She was one of the first Sustainable Arts Foundation AIRspace Parent Artist Resident at Abrons Art Center and her An American Family Album series was featured in VOGUE. Her artworks can also be found in New American Paintings magazine, issue #146 and #153. 

If you are interested in purchasing any of these works, please email us immediately at info@calabargallery.com

7. ADVERTISE + SUBSCRIBE: NEW IDEAS

Every Newsletter will offer 3 -5 opportunities for paid advertising. There will be 3 banner sponsored ads - one at the beginning of the newsletter, 2 in between and all 3 with words and 2 classified ads with words at the end of the newsletter. Interested in placing an ad: here are some statistics:
  • 45,000 people
  • 18-30% Open Rate
  • 1.5% Click through
 PLEASE ASK US ABOUT AD RATES, INQUIRE AT INFO@CALABARGALLERY.COM

8. OVERHEAD + TAIL END: THIS WEEK'S MOMENTS

Art Residencies:

The last year, I have concentrated on making sure our artists get into residencies. What is nice to see is the updated description of the work on websites: Elan Cadiz spent time at Ma's House in Long Island. Here is an inside look of what she did there: https://www.elancadiz.com/ma-s-house-residency

This year, I will spend time developing one for the gallery. It's a very particular one that directly targets the type of artists the gallery focuses on. Interested in the creation of an art residency for emerging and mid-career Black Artists who are working using unconventional ideas, materials, subject matter and doing some research based work. Speculatively, I am looking at New York, Philadelphia, Sante Fe, NM and Calabar, Nigeria. If you are interested in collaborating, partnering, advising and much more, please reach out to me at info@calabargallery.com

Yes, art residencies are time away for artists to concentrate, dream, imagine and produce a body of work? Imagine that luxury of having the time to do that and in studio space. So, essentials - real estate - space is needed, housing space is needed and money of course. 

 
HARLEM BREWING COMPANY CELEBRATES THE LAUNCH OF A PALE ALE, HARLEM, A NEIGHBORHOOD ORGINAL
Our mailing address is: 
Calabar Gallery, 2504 Frederick Douglass Boulevard, Harlem, NY 10030 
Website: www.calabagallery.com  646-964-5062 
HOURS:
WEDNESDAYS, THURSDAYS, FRIDAYS, SATURDAYS - 12-7PM, SUNDAYS -12 NOON - 6PM
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Calabar Gallery · 306 West 38th Street, suite 602 · NY, New York 10018 · USA